Book Review: To Remain a Jew

For all of those who don't know me so well, I love reading. I decided that any book I read that I truly enjoy, I will try to share with all of you. After all, there are hundreds upon hundreds of books that have been published and a recommendation can go far when you're standing in the bookstore and you don't want to waste twenty-five dollars on a book that just won't enjoy that much.

I first pickd up "To Remain a Jew" by Rav Yitzchak Zilber about two years ago when I was babysitting. It was recently purchased for me so I finally got to read it. (Thank you to that person, you know who you are.😊) His memoir is about growing up as a religious Jew behind the Iron Curtain, about the trails they faced that I can barely understand. Everything they did had to be in complete secrecy and they could be found by the KGB at any moment, as he describes. 

"The stress felt in the Jewish community was terrible: religious people did not know who among them was an informer...One time people gathered for a minyan. The Torah school was taken out but nobody dared step forward and read from the scroll. Two people there knew how to do it, but they were afraid of being reported...I had turned thirteen by then, so I stepped forward. This was the first time I read from the scroll for the community."

Rav Zilber 

Many Jews knew about religion and didn't care, opting to practice communism instead. But many more Jews did care about the mitzvos, but were simply too frightened to act upon them. Rav Zilber was not one of those Jews. He was never mechalel Shabbos or Yom Tov , when we was a free man (so to speak) or when he was sent to a Soviet camp. Wherever he was, he made it his mission to teach the Jews who did not know and to help the Jews who were paralyzed by fear. 

Rav Elyashiv said he was one of the thirty-six hidden tzaddikim of his generation. Why? Because Rav Zilber taught other Jews and encouraged his children to do the same. He performed countless brissim and brought so many people closer to Hashem. Even after he managed to get exit visas and made aliyah to Israel he kept up his work helping others.* He found other Russian immigrants that were freed and introduced them to the religious education that was robbed from them.

One point I specifically enjoyed about this was that he was a regular person who did great things. Many times we here stories of gedolim and don't get inspired because they are so far removed from where we stand. Very often stories of their youth include memorizing large amounts of gemara at a young age or a similar feat. 

The stories about Rav Zilber are in different vein. When he writes about being able to memorize large amounts of Torah in his labor camp, he sounds completely shocked and admits he tried to do this before and was unable. Therefore, he concludes, it was a gift from Hashem.  

The book is written in a very personal, nonchalant way. I honestly felt like I heard the voice of Rav Zilber as I read it. When I got to the end and read about his death,  I was disappointed and a little sad.  I would have loved to meet him.    

But I did in a way, by reading his book.

*And so much more, but I don't want to re-write the entire book here. 😉